


The mechanic

by Querion



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/F, Special love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-04-08 09:25:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19104310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Querion/pseuds/Querion
Summary: Kathryn Janeway is a 34 year old brilliant mechanic who lives in Bloomington, Indiana. She is considered as odd by the people in her small agricultural community, which strictly regulates use of modern technology, because she is not married yet. However, her close friend B`Elanna Torres, knows a lot more of what is going on with Kathryn than other people. When 25 year old blonde, Annika Hansen, moves to the neighbourhood with her family, Kathryn Janeway`s life as she knows it, turns upside down.





	1. Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> An uber 24th century first contact fanfiction. 
> 
> Oscar Hansen, Seven`s older brother, is an original character.

_"Why is everyone trying to show me how to live my life? I`m 34 years old, damn it and i know what`s good or bad for me!"_ Kathryn muttered under her breath as she turned the wrench with all her strength. She stretched up and wiped her brow which was dripping with sweat. Janeway pulled the long stool toward the raised old fashioned car and sat on it. She began to unscrew the bolt again, this time slowly but with a lot of effort. She could feel the stubborn nut slowly give. Her arm muscles were burning with her effort. Finally the bolt unscrewed and came off completely. It flew across the large garage and Kathryn lost grip of the wrench because of her sweaty palms. It crashed on the cement floor with much noise, causing B`Elanna, her fellow mechanic and co-owner of the garage to flinch with the noise.

 

Torres stopped what she was doing and came running to see what the commotion was. There, on the floor, lying flat on her back, was Kathryn Janeway, wearing her dark green overalls. Torres stood over her friend with arms across her chest. The olive skinned beauty tried not to laugh at her friend, but she wanted to.

 

 _"Ahem! I didn`t know i had to inspect your `underside` Katie. Would you like me to do that now?"_ B`Elanna said and offered a hand to help her friend up.

" _Lanna."_ Kathryn warned but she smiled and took the offered hand. As she sat up Torres knelt down and kissed Janeway on the mouth. Kathryn`s eyes widened but she soon composed herself. It was clear that Torres still fancied her more than a platonic friend would but Kathryn`s heart felt differently about her. She valued the deep friendship they had, that she could confide in Torres that she was not interested in the men in her town. Her mind took her back to a time when she and B`Elanna went for a picnic in the forest one Saturday morning:

 

_Kathryn and B`Elanna took their pick up truck they had resurrected from the dead and headed with it towards a bumpy dusty road in the forest. They drove for an hour and came to a large water reservoir`s edge. They unpacked their picnic and rolled out the checkered blanket on the ground. The women simply sat and talked and ate the food. Soon B`Elanna, who secretly fancied her friend, decided to talk to Janeway. "_

_Kathryn, we`ve been friends for a long time now, correct?"_

_"Correct."  Janeway affirmed._

_"If i told you that somewhere down the line my admiration for your work and love for a friend had turned into romance, would you believe it?"  Kathryn was silent as she absorbed the new concept._

_"Are you listening or not?"  Torres had asked her, impatience tingeing her voice._

_"Yes, i am, Love. It`s just that i...don`t..."  Kathryn started to say something but she was cut off by her friend._

_"You don`t feel that way for me, i get it. It`s okay. Really."  Torres sighed and looked at her friend straight in the eye. " Can you at least kiss me, so that i have a feel of what i may have had?"  Kathryn had looked at her friend and a cute lop sided smile appeared on her face, the smile which always melted Torres` heart._

_"...but B`Elanna, you`re straight, aren`t you?"_

_"No, i`m bisexual. Come on, you know this, Kathryn."_

_"Okay, come here so i may kiss you."  So Kathryn reached both hands, cupped B`Elanna`s face and kissed her tenderly on the lips. She felt her friend sigh happily. They kissed some more, slowly and passionately until Kathryn decided to break it off._

_"Happy?"  Janeway said as she looked searchingly between her friend`s eyes._

_"Yes, thank you. You`re a good friend, Kathryn. Your girlfriend will be very lucky to share those kisses with you."  Torres said. Then B`Elanna moved for another round. Kathryn pushed her away._

_"Don`t push it, Torres!"_

_"Please, don`t tell my sister any of this. She thinks i like men but haven`t found the right one yet! It`s so funny when she takes me out to meet her male friends, but i think my mother knows. She once caught me looking at a padd full of naked women. She told me to look after my things and keep them away from Phoebe."  Kathryn laughed._

_"Your secret`s safe with me, cupcake!"  Torres said and touched Kathryn`s cheek, which caused Janeway to swat her friend`s wandering hand away._ _The women laughed and continued to enjoy their day._

 

Back in the present, Kathryn rubbed her derriere to relieve it of the burning pain which came from the impact she made earlier.

" _No, Torres, you may not examine my `underside!`That belongs to..."_    Kathryn stopped talking and cried out in pain when shetried to stand up with Torres` help. B`Elanna quickly sat her down again and lay her down on her side.

 

B`Elanna took a tricorder, one of the very few technologies allowed in the agricultural community, and ran it along Kathryn`s lower spine. She stood up and read the results of the scan on the small screen.

_"Katie, you have a small fracture on your tail bone. Stay where you are and i`ll run a bone knitter on you."_

" _Gee, thanks. Every excuse to look at my underside, eh, Torres?"_ Kathryn teased but lay down obediently as her friend ran the bone knitter along her lower spine until she was done.

" _That`s not your underside, Kathryn, it`s your backside and you sure look good from here!"_ The friend teased.

" _I`m wearing overalls, you can`t possibly see anything!"_ Kathryn threw back. She knew that her friend was distracting her while she healed the fracture. Such a good friend she had. She smiled amidst the burning pain.

 

 


	2. A day in the life of a hover mechanic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The friends work in their garage on a typical day. They find a holo image of a mysterious woman in a customer`s car.

A couple of weeks later, Janeway and Torres were working in the garage section of their car making factory, _The Delta_ _._ Kathryn had stayed up late the previous evening, trying to revive the rusty green truck she and Torres took on their picnic the month before. Of all the problems which the truck could have, the worn spark plug seemed to occur more often than it should. Every time she replaced one thing, another problem popped up. It turned out that they should have gotten rid of the old thing years ago. It was now costing them a lot of time, space, and more importantly the old truck was just a liability. Despite knowing all this, Kathryn did not have the heart to part with the old truck which was called _Voyager._ It was given to her on her 17th birthday by her late father, Doctor Edward Janeway. He was a motor vehicle engineer who designed old and modern hover vehicles for the Federation. He also liked to test drive his own inventions and was killed in one of the test drives of a hover van which had malfunctioned over the Pacific ocean and sank to the bottom. Kathryn and her best friend, a young man called Justin Tighe, were with him. When the hover van sank, it broke into half. The men ended up being trapped in the front section, the doors were sealed due to the high pressure under kilometres of sea water. Kathryn ended up on the roof of the car. She had activated the cushion which had engulfed the whole vehicle and formed a compartment of air around it. This also caused the damaged vehicle to be buoyant and it slowly rose to the surface. Janeway`s quick thinking saved the three of them, but by the time the truck rose to the surface and the automatic distress beacon was picked up by the Coast Guards, it was too late. Edward Janeway had bled internally, a rib had pierced his lung and he had drowned in his own body fluids. He died instantly. Justin survived long enough and was taken to hospital, only to die in Kathryn`s arms the following day. Kathryn escaped with minor bruises to the arms, legs and around the eyes. She was inconsolable and suffered from depression and had stopped living. She had lost the two men in her life who she really cared about. She was riddled with guilt that she had not done enough to save the other two. Her mother had brought in therapists but Kathryn sent them away angrily, claiming that she did not want to talk to them, that unless they could time travel and bring her father and friend back she did not want to see them.

 

She locked herself in her bedroom, simply lying in bed. She only came out to use the bathroom or to eat and have a shower. At first her mother and sister left her alone, believing that she was still grieving because Kathryn and her father were very close. A month later, Phoebe and B`Elanna decided to take matters into their own hands. They had literally  _"flushed her out of the bedroom"_   with water, soaking her bed and Kathryn. Janeway was so angry with her sister and her long time friend that she got out of the wet bed and chased them down the stairs, all the way to the garden outside, hurling insults and profanities at them, some of which caused her mother to blush, but Gretchen was grateful to see her Katie show some emotions at all. Suffice it to say that Janeway never went back to locking herself up in her room. She had started living again. A few nights later, at the dinner table Kathryn announced to her mother and sister, that she wanted to go to the Daystrom Institute of Technology, particularly the mechanical engineering department. She wanted to be a motor vehicle engineer like her father. Gretchen knew that her daughter was beginning to heal emotionally so she let her go. She and B`Elanna Torres had enrolled in the same course. Thomas Paris, Harry Kim, Tuvok of Vulcan, Neelix of Talax and Chakotay from Trebus colony on the Federation planet Dorvas V happened to also be on the same Automotive Engineering degree and went on to master`s and beyond. The seven of them had fun during their studies at the Daystrom Institute, often working together on projects or helping each other out. They grew quite close to each other and later formed an automotive factory and garage together.

 

Janeway and Torres had graduated with the highest grades in the history of the institution. They were offered jobs but the two friends decided to start their own business, to the deep disappointment of their instructors. They started off by renting a small garage downtown where they fixed friends` and relatives` cars and other vehicles. Soon they could not handle the workload themselves so they hired Ayala, Harry Kim and Thomas Paris. Tom was good at designing the hardware while Torres excelled in software. Kathryn was an all rounder, she excelled in both. Harry and Ayala were interested in the aesthetics, things like passenger comfort, accessories such as music soft ware, which Kathryn supposed fell into the both designing and software. It was a difficult job, designing a hover vehicle from scratch while taking into account how much technology they were to place in it while considering the community they lived in. In just a few months the group had a new place where they manufactured their own hover cars as well as old fashioned cars. They still fixed vehicles and farm machinery but went largely into designing and building new vehicles.

 

B`Elanna knew the story behind the  _Voyager,_ Kathryn`n old truck, so she helped rebuild the old thing whenever she had a spare moment. One night, as the women argued over whether they should upgrade the engine and turn the truck into a hover truck rather than a 21st century truck, the argument almost got out of hand. B`Elanna was of the opinion that the  _Voyager_ should have modern technology while Kathryn thought that despite appreciating 24th century, they should consider the community they lived in. The people here, did not welcome modern technology. She muttered under her breath that if she allowed B`Elanna to live out her fantasy by fitting the car with modern technology, she too will be branded as `odd` like she was. 

 

A man had arrived with his hover car that morning. He told Kathryn that his name was Magnus Hansen. The hover car kept sputtering when it started that it sounded like it was drowning and it`s fuel cells tended to run out very quickly. Janeway raised an eye brow at the description but promised Hansen to take a look at it. Hansen told the mechanic that he will send his daughter to pick it up later when it was done, left his contact details and walked towards the public transport station. Kathryn watched the man walk down the few steps. She mused at how good looking he was, tried to summon her _inner straightness,_ which Phoebe had once told her to do when she saw a man, that doing so will cause her big sister to appreciate men. Phoebe was under the impression that her elder sister was afraid of men in general. When nothing happened after a few moments of channeling, that she still did not fancy the man romantically, or imagine she and he together, Janeway chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. _"I guess i`ll just have to tell Phoebe that my channeling systems are irreparably damaged."_ She was still chuckling when she walked back to her office and asked Ayala to bring the hover car in for inspection.

 

Ayala, a man of few words, nodded at his boss and drove the hover car inside the large light and airy room. He raised it until it was two metres above ground. Kathryn and  B`Elanna took over and started inspecting it. Janeway turned the ignition sequence by using an old fashioned 21st century key. She wondered why this particular car had this design, then she concluded that it must be one of her father`s designs. The two friends talked about everything and nothing as they worked. Kathryn walked around the car, scanning its perimeter with a tricorder when she heard B`Elanna exclaim loudly. She knew that Torres had found something interesting inside the car. She flicked the tricorder close and joined her friend inside.

_"Oh my goodness! Kathryn? Come, see this. Its a holo image of a woman you`ve never seen before. I wonder who she is? I mean, check out the exotic silver jewelry on her face and arms! Her hair!"_   It was clear that Torres was fascinated by the image. Kathryn joined her friend in the back seat and looked at the holo image in B`Elanna`s hand. She listened in amused silence at the adoration in Torres` voice as she praised the beautiful blonde woman in the holo image.

_"She must be a model in one of the holo suites in town, but i have to say that she looks a bit like Mr Hansen."_  Kathryn said.

_"You mean the guy who brought the hover car this morning?"_

_"Yeah."_ Janeway said and pressed the tiny button at the base of the frame to activate it:

 

_The young woman in the holo image was dressed in a dark blue blouse with long sleeves and a pair of black jeans which fitted her like a pair of gloves. She started to walk towards a large water mass. It looked similar to the water reservoir the two woman had been to for a picnic a few weeks back. The woman with exotic jewelry talked to someone out of shot, possibly the one taking the recording. "Oscar, i do not wish to be recorded. It is an inefficient use of your time!"  Janeway thought the woman did not look or sound pleased._

_"Come on, Sis. I`ll be going away to Australia soon. I need all your holo images, Dad`s Mum`s and yours. Now please do something natural?"  Oscar`s voice was heard followed by a sigh. The woman with exotic silver jewelry on her face gave Oscar the tiniest of smiles and walked to the water`s edge. She scooped some with both hands and threw it at Oscar who laughed and started to run, with the woman chasing him. "Australia is not an off world location, we can still talk via Starfleet communications, channel, that is not an excuse for taking our holo images."_

 

The image went still. It was clear to Kathryn that another person was also recording the activity the woman was engaged in because when Oscar started running, he should not have been able to record at the same time.

" _I wonder who she is?"_ Janeway said, thinking aloud.

_Well, let`s fix up Mr Hansen`s car and maybe we can ask him about the woman."_ B`Elanna suggested helpfully while Kathryn blushed. A moment later she wondered why the hell was she reacting this way to someone she hardly knew. Torres watched her friend closely and smiled when Janeway looked at her.

" _Are you getting any good vibes, Kathryn, because i am."_ Janeway`s only response was to glare at her friend and jump out of the vehicle.

" _We need to start fixing Mr Hansen`s car before his daughter comes to collect it."_

 

Kathryn flicked her tricorder open again to read the list of malfunctions the car had. _"Spark_   _plug_   _misfiring and dead batteries."_ Janeway read off the screen dryly. She found doing an easy job quite tiring and tedious. She loved a challenge but she was curious enough to find out who Mr Hansen`s daughter was. With renewed strength Kathryn and B`Elanna worked efficiently. They removed the faulty batteries, reconditioned them and replaced them. Then they moved onto the misfiring spark plugs. Why would a spark plug misfire? The women realized that fixing little things will only treat the symptoms, but if they looked at the whole engine they may find a whole lot of issues which needed addressing. Suddenly the simple problem turned into a whole complicated issue. They decided to replace the whole new engine they had, it was meant for Kathryn`s old truck, but Mr Hansen needed it more than she did. They removed the old engine, hoping that they will work on it and fit it in Kathryn`s truck in the near future, and replaced Magnus`s car with the working engine.

 

It was late afternoon when Janeway had a pleased look on her face when she started the car and stepped on the accelerator. The car`s wheels rotated smoothly, there were no residual sounds made by the engine. Torres sprayed the inside and added some fresh scents in it. Lastly she placed the holo image where she found it that morning. Finally they brought the car down to the ground and declared it mended. Janeway contacted the car`s owner to inform him that it was ready for collection. Magnus confirmed that he will send his daughter to get the car.

 


	3. Meeting Annika

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janeway meets the woman with the exotic silver jewelry.

_"Hello? I am Annika Hansen. My father left his hover car this morning and i am here to collect it."_ The blonde haired woman with exotic silver jewelry said formally and offered her right hand for Kathryn to shake. Torres hid in her office across the cavernous garage, watching the interaction between Kathryn and the blonde woman.

 

Kathryn Janeway stood in front of Mr Hansen`s hover car to admire her and Torres` handiwork. Then she heard someone walk up to the garage door and walk in. She looked up to see a tall woman who looked very much like the woman in the holo image at the back of the car she and Torres were fixing.

_"Hello there, Annika. I am Kathryn Janeway. Is Mr Hansen your..."_ Janeway took the offered hand and shook it briefly. She was cut off by the blonde woman.

_"Father? Yes, he is. I hope he has not done anything embarrassing?"_ Annika asked, humour tingeing her voice. A tiny smile graced her face, which captivated Janeway.

" _No, no he hasn`t. Does he embarrass you often?"_ Kathryn found herself asking.

" _Most of the time, yes. I am the last born child. My older brother is 37 years old. So everybody in the house treats me like a little girl. I guess i will never grow up in their eyes and minds."_ Janeway sensed resignation in Annika`s tone. She thought fast and offered the woman something she would not normally do to a stranger.

_"I had a father too. He embarrassed me all the time. He would make me wear dresses! I hate wearing dresses, or he would show me off to his friends. Ugh! But i knew he meant well. He was simply proud of me."_ Janeway said, reassuring the other woman. " _So i know exactly what you mean. Tell you what? Come out with us. My friend and i are going out for a drink later this evening."_ Kathryn knew she was babbling but she could not stop herself.

_"I would love that, thank you."_ There was the small smile on the woman`s face again as Annika`s blue eyes met Janeway`s blue gray gaze. It was obvious that Janeway was charmed by the smile.

 

Annika transferred some credits into _The_ _Delta`s_ account and drove off. B`Elanna came out of her office and wolf whistled.

" _So you`re going out on a date with her?_

_"It`s not that...she just seemed lonely and i know what she`s going through, being treated like that by her family. I mean..."_ Janeway stopped talking and sighed when she saw Torres` knowing smile.

" _Look, Lanna. It`s not what you think."_

_"...and what am i thinking, Katie?"_ Janeway glared at her friend and walked into her office.


	4. Picking up Annika

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kathryn and B`Elanna pick up Annika.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That awkward moment when you have a major crush on your best friend, then you realize that she`s fallen for someone else. What does one do?

B`Elanna walked out of the sonic shower room freshly dressed in a blue pair of jeans. She walked out and looked over at Kathryn who sat on the tall stool she used to reach underneath hover cars when repairing them. She had her head bent over a padd, seemingly in great concentration. Janeway seemed to be so preoccupied that she did not react when Torres walked right behind her and stood over her shoulder to peek at whatever caught her friend`s attention. When Kathryn finally sensed Torres she promptly turned the screen off and snapped at Torres claiming her privacy was breached, that whatever she was looking at was confidential. Torres simply raised an eye brow at her friend`s overreaction. She already suspected that Kathryn was attracted to a total stranger by the name of Annika Hansen.

" _Don`t worry, your secret`s safe with me."_ B`Elanna said dryly after she saw what was on Kathryn`s padd`s screen. It was the only way she could react to block away the slight emotional pain which was brewing in her mind and heart right then. She felt the potential loss of Kathryn Janeway`s affection and friendship becoming very real. Part of her wanted to be happy for Janeway, to celebrate the fact that Kathryn may have her very first relationship, that she should prepare to be supportive of her long time friend, but right now, the only emotions Torres felt were bitterness, anger and pain.

 

The two women drove in silence on their way to pick Annika up. The blonde asked if she could be picked up from a public hover train stop. Janeway was surprised by the strange request but she supposed that it was not really strange considering it was the first time for the three to be together. Kathryn was brought out of her musing when Torres cleared her throat. Janeway realized that the bubbly engineer and mechanic never really run out of things to say. She would be talking excitedly about one thing or another. Kathryn`s heart sank. She did not know how to react to a brooding B`Elana simply because normally Torres was not the brooding type. She usually spoke out her mind whenever she felt Kathryn was wrong about something. Janeway supposed that the other woman was profoundly affected by some sort of emotional dilemma. That dilemma was herself. Janeway sighed as she reduced the speed of the hover car and briefly turned sideways to look at the beautiful face of her friend.

 _"_ _What`s up, Lanna?"_

_"....nothing...."_

_"_ _Well, that`s not_ _a_ _very good reason?"_ Janeway said softly, imploringly, as she kept her eyes in front, on the screen. Hover cars flew past them in all directions as they hovered to different destinations. A long while went by and Kathryn was starting to wonder whether her friend was ever going to say anything at all then she stole a glance at her friend. 

" _I know but i can`t tell you. I don`t want to ruin things between you and...her..."_   B`Elanna finally said.

 

Janeway was quiet for a while, attempting to decipher what her friend had just said, or not said. B`Elanna sounded like someone who had been defeated somehow and all because of a new friend? Janeway wondered whether there was more. `Of course, there`s more. Your new friend has just sent you a holo image of herself for you to remember how she looks like, so you pick up "the correct person.`" Her inner voice said, causing her to sigh with realization. She took her hand off the stick and reached for B`Elanna`s while she kept the other hand on the hover car`s steering wheel.

" _Lanna, nothing`s going to change anything between us. If Annika wants to be my friend i`m sure she`s going to be a friend to both of us. If she won`t accept you then that`s going to put me in a difficult situation because..."_ Kathryn realized she had said too much too soon. B`Elanna remained quiet for the remainder of the trip to the hover train station.

 

The women landed and parked at the short stay zone. Then they started to look for Annika in the sea of travelers of all the Alpha Quadrant and the Federation races. Kathryn looked around while B`Elanna just walked beside her friend. She did not seem to be making any searching efforts, Kathryn thought to herself. Kathryn smiled at her friend sympathetically and continued to look around, searching.

 _"Where is she?"_ Janeway thought to herself. She was beginning to get frustrated when she saw a tall blonde woman approach them. She had a small smile on her full lips. The smile completely changed her facial features. She looked much more beautiful when she smiled, Kathryn mused.

 _"Hello, Kathryn, B`Elanna. I apologize for not being here at the agreed upon time. My...parents were interrogating me on you and B`Ellana as my potential friends."_ Annika said in a resigned tone which caused both Janeway and Torres to laugh. The trio jumped into the hover car and drove off.


	5. Complex friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three friends go for a drink and discover they have things in common. Kathryn does not want to lose the other women`s friendship as she toys with the idea of forming a romantic relationship with both her friends. The taboo idea tittilates her.

Kathryn took the wheel again and drove off towards _The Ocampa,_ a popular and her and B`Elanna`s favourite bar in town. Janeway tried not to stare through the rear view mirror, at the beautiful young woman who sat at the back of the hover car, but her unruly eyes kept darting back there. When she did, she saw Annika look right back at her. Every time she looked. It seemed that the young woman was studying her from the back seat! `How exciting!` Kathryn thought to herself and shivered. Her mind started to wander off to forbidden areas. She must have done something unlawful because she heard her two passengers yell something about her wandering off to another aerial lane while another hover car was clearly taking over. This was punctuated by a hooting sound made by said hover car. Janeway felt her face burn in embarrassment.

 

`So much for first impressions!` Her little voice said.

`What first impressions?` Her logical voice tried to understand.

`Are you daft? Can`t you see that she`s trying to impress the new girl?` A few beats later:

" _Sorry, ladies. I misjudged my chance to jump the queue!"_ The woman tried to downplay what may have potentially been a serious accident because of her lapse in judgment after she let her mind wander off.

" _Do not worry, Kathryn. We are not harmed."_ Annika said reassuringly.

_"Are you trying to kill us, Kathryn? I don`t know about you but i want to get my hands on that blood wine before i die. They have really good blood wine at The Ocampa."_

 

Janeway laughed and continued to drive, this time she had her full attention on her driving. They hovered for about ten more minutes then landed at the bar`s parking lot. It was getting dark as they got out of their car and Kathryn was getting a bit concerned for her new friend`s curfew.

_"Annika, i don`t know how to ask this but i guess i`ll just have to say it. Did your parents give you a curfew?"_

_"Yes, they have, but i am going to try and make a statement tonight to prove a point to them! I shall drink blood wine, dance and kiss a woman."_  Annika said in a matter of fact tone, causing B`Elanna`s jaws lose  their cohesion and fall to the ground. When she picked them off the ground and reattach them Torres looked at Annika and laughed out loudly. She slapped her on the back `lightly` and nodded at her in approval. 

_"Not bad!"_ B`Elanna said in approval of their new friend.

 

Janeway felt her face begin to burn again but she mustered all her self control and feigned nonchalance to the words which clearly cut to her core. Why did she have a feeling that Annika was talking about her? `Wishful thinking.` Her logical mind told her, but deep down Kathryn Janeway knew that Annika Hansen was talking about her.

_"Let`s get in, people."_

 

The bar was particularly full but they soon found somewhere to sit. There was a couch which sat two and a separate single chair. They were in a semi circle with a low coffee table between them. B`Elanna ordered three mugs of blood wine straight away and brought them to her friends. While Torres was away ordering, Annika started to interrogate Kathryn.

" _Kathryn, thank you for inviting me. I was beginning to feel bored at home, without anyone to talk to apart from my parents and brother. I love my family very much but staying with them at all hours can be trying."_ The young woman confessed.

" _i`m glad we could help. You just looked a bit lonely and i knew you could use a friend. So, are you new in town?"_ Janeway asked.

" _Yes, we arrived last month from Sweden. My brother is a lieutenant in Starfleet and was posted here, in the North American Sector. Initially he was an adjunct working for Admiral Chekov in the European Sector. He has a posting to Australia but will be based here in North America at Starfleet Headquarters. My parents are Apiculturists. They study bee colonies to make sure they do not go extinct."_

_"Your brother is in Starfleet? Does he like i there? Will he be going on a star ship next then?"_ Kathryn could not imagine living anywhere else than in Bloomington, her home town.

" _He aspires to be a captain. He is quite intelligent but i agree with you that life on a starship sounds unappealing."_

_"Indeed."_ Janeway agreed. Then she looked towards the bar counter to see what was keeping B`Elanna so long. She saw her talking to her sandy haired colleague, Tom Paris. He and Chakotay also frequented The Ocampa after work at their hover car factory downtown. 

 

Neelix of Talax, a great multitasker, who co owned the factory with Kathryn and B`Elanna, also owner of the Ocampa with a young woman called Kes, came over to where Kathryn and Annika sat. He talked to Kathryn in his usual chirpy manner. He then smiled at Annika and took their orders.

" _Thanks, Neelix. B`Elanna is sorting that out."_ Kathryn said.

" _This is a special day when we celebrate new friendships. Annika, here, is new. What a good chance to show her how we live here in Bloomington?"_ Janeway had to agree with that assessment. Finally Torres returned. Kathryn`s brow rose, almost to her hairline when she saw Torres kiss Tom Paris on the lips before she returned to their place with a tray with three mugs of blood wine and some crisps. She informed Kathryn and Annika that food will be served shortly.

" _Torres, do you have a confession to make?"_ Janeway asked playfully but B`Elanna felt that it was a serious inquiry for information.

_"Well, uh, no."_ Kathryn looked at her friend`s face for a few seconds, as if trying to get the truth there, then nodded her head. 

 

The three women sipped on their drinks silently. Then Annika looked at Kathryn.

" _Kathryn, i like this Klingon wine. I have never drank alcohol before but i enjoy the fruity flavour. Do you drink often?"_ Annika seemed to fish for little details of Kathryn`s life.

" _I`m glad you like blood wine. No i don`t drink often but when i do, i drink with this one, here."_ Kathryn patted Torres on the shoulder, Annika could clearly see that there was a friendship bond between Kathryn and B`Elanna, nothing more. That gave the young woman some courage to fish for more of Kathryn`s personal details.

" _B`Elanna, was that your boyfriend?"_ She pointed across the room, to where Paris and Chakotay sat.

" _No, he`s childish and i thinks he likes the company he`s with."_ Annika`s eye brow rose elegantly. Kathryn sipped on her mug of bloodwine and wondered how anyone could make a simple act of raising an eye brow to be so sexy bordering on suggestiveness. She shook her head as if to clear her mind of that thought and concentrated hard on her bloodwine. Damage seemed to have been made when she felt the stirrings of arousal. `Dear lord. What do i do?` Kathryn thought to herself.

" _He prefers men?"_

" _I_   _think so_ _."_ B`Elanna suggested.

" _...and Kathryn, do you prefer men too?"_ Annika took a sip from her mug and looked at the red haired beauty sitting across from her. It was onvious that Kathryn was taken by surprise. She took in a large breath into her mouth and slowly exhaled it through her nose. Annika seemed to realise her social faux pas and quickly decided to explain herself.

" _You do not have to tell me now, if you do not wish to, Kathryn."_

_"Thanks."_ Kathryn said sheepishly.

" _My friend here, is a virgin. She does not like it one bit, but she is also terrified of approaching the women she likes. Got any pointers? I have tried to show her the way but i guess my methods were unorthodox and she felt that she did not want to violate a friend."_ Torres said by way of explanation. By this time her head was buzzing with the wine she was drinking. She wondered why everybody in the bar had suddenly become loud. She looked at Janeway who had an adorable smile on the face. 

" _I have waited for the right person for so long that i think i have waited too long."_ Janeway said simply. The wine was making her feel a little bold. Most of what her friend, Torres said, that she was a virgin, had washed over her. If she were sober she would be blushing furiously by now.

_"Is it true, that you are a virgin, Kathryn?"_

_"Uh?"_ Janeway was not ready to confess yet. Annika was disappointed but she knew that Kathryn Janeway was the woman she was meant to be with. The only hurdle was to get her now inebriated new friend alone so that she could kiss her. Annika was sure not to drink much. She knew that alcohol impaired her bodily functions much more severely than the average person. This was the real reason why Annika Hansen had never drank alcohol before. She was born with a rare defect. Most of her internal body organs were either weak or absent at birth. A holographic doctor at Starfleet medical centre had put implants in her system and injected her with nano machines to assist the remaining organs to perform their normal functions. She had to regenerate to keep the machines functioning.

 

Kathryn Janeway looked at the blue eyed beauty sitting across from her. She watched her full lips move as the young woman spoke. Kathryn liked what she saw. Her nipples pebbled as she imagined the young woman wrap those full red lips around one while B`Elanna did things to her backside. Kathryn heard herself groan in arousal. She snapped out of the amorous thought and cleared her throat.

" _You were saying, Annika?"_

_"I wish to know if you were a virgin?"_ Annika said politely, as if she was inquiring about some cooking recipe.

" _Yes, i am, but i am not entirely naive. I know how sex works."_   She said and wondered where those words were coming from. It was as if Kathryn was watching someone else tell Annika, a stranger, her guarded secret. Well, now it was not a secret any longer.

_"I, too, am a virgin, Kathryn. We could teach each other things..."_

_"Uh...you don`t say!"_

 

B`Elanna`s jaws lost their cohesion and dropped to the floor while Janeway had a lop sided smile, which judging by the look on Annika`s face, the young woman was charmed by it. Kathryn Janeway agreed to herself that she was indeed attracted to her old friend B`Elanna Torres and now Annika Hansen. She, however, had no idea if this was a good thing, or was she setting herself up for heartache and disaster? She did not know but Janeway knew one thing. She had to give the idea a try. From beyond her drunken foggy brain, the voice of reason spoke to her. 

" _Kathryn Janeway, you will never know until you have tried."_ She briefly wondered how she would pull this off, what her two friends would think of her? Would she lose both their friendships? All these thoughts and fears swirled around in a jumble of intertwined thoughts in her inebriated mind. Annika noted that her two friends were fairly drunk. Kathryn was not fit to drive so she decided that she should take the wheel when it was time to leave.


	6. Primal actions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> B`Elanna and Kathryn are too drunk to drive home. Annika`s quick thinking saves the day. B`Elanna takes advantage of it at Janeway`s expense and hopes Kathryn never finds out.

_"Oh, my head. It feels like i`ve been wrestling with a herd of wild targs!"_ B`Elanna Torres complained. She was in a half asleep state and could not quite work out where she really was. She realized that she was not in her house, or in her bed. Somehow she was lying on a couch in their company`s reception area. She racked her brains to try and find out how she got there at such an early hour. The chronometer said the time was only 02:30 hours. Torres attempted to roll to her side but she bumped into something soft, squishy and warm. `It cannot be? Could it be?` The woman thought to herself. So she reached a hand and touched the pleasant object. She ended up touching a hardened tip at the end of a larger roughly oval shaped object. Her fingers, out of their own volition, went on a quest to find out the rest of this fascinating object. They massaged the surface of the tiny protrusion and squeezed it. A moan was heard from somewhere nearby. So Torres stopped what she was doing and became fully alert.

 

She was in the office reception, lying on the couch but there seemed to be two couches pushed together to form a comfortable sleeping area. A large duvet was over her which she had no idea of its origin. The office was dark but Torres` eyes had adjusted to the darkness and she could make out some shapes. Her heart beat faster when she realized that the person she was fondling was her best friend, Kathryn Janeway. B`Elanna squinted her eyes to see clearly and she noted that Janeway was asleep but her tee shirt had ridden up her torso and had bunched up around her neck. Her chest was bare. Annika lay behind Kathryn embracing her protectively from behind. Her top left hand was cupping Janeway`s right breast, fingers squeezing the erect tip, while her bottom right hand had disappeared under Kathryn`s waist. Annika`s hips ground into Kathryn`s backside in an erotic manner. `Some virgin you are, Annika!` B`Elanna huffed.

 

B`Elanna Torres felt a tinge of jealousy before she quickly replaced it with some inventive thoughts. It seemed that she was not the only one who was awake, then why not live out some of her fantasies as well? Even if it was just a little bit? Annika seemed to live hers. So the woman moved closer towards Kathryn until she was facing the sleeping redhead. B`Elanna started to kiss the sleeping woman on the ear and licked it into her hot, wet mouth. She placed a trail of small kisses along Kathryn`s neck then moved in to kiss the left breast which was not protected by Annika`s hand. A moan escaped the sleeping woman`s mouth. B`Elanna enjoyed the action which she knew Janeway would not have allowed her to do if she was awake. So Torres moved in for more. As she kissed Kathryn on the mouth again while fondling the erect nipple she felt the woman arch her back towards the touch and opened her mouth. It did not register in Torres that her friend may be awake. She was too far gone at this point. Kathryn`s mouth was hot and inviting so Torres kissed her. She let her tongue explore Kathryn for a bit while she played with the erect nipple.

 

With superhuman strength B`Elanna Torres summoned her rational mind to her fore brain and moved away from the woman she was violating. Her heart was beating fast with confusion, guilt and arousal. She sat up, brought her knees towards her chin and took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled it. It was a technique she learned from Tuvok, their partner in the Hover Car Making factory. There was no way she was going to get any more sleep so she got up, placed the duvet over her two sleeping friends and went for a shower in the hydro shower room. She looked longingly at Kathryn`s beautiful sleeping face. Torres heard her moan some more and judging by the movements under the duvet, she was sure that Annika had gotten herself busy. probably violating the poor Kathryn. B`Elanna dropped her head in guilt and walked away to the shower room. Perhaps a cold shower will numb the feelings she had just awakened. This was proving harder than her fantasies made things look.

 

Kathryn Janeway fell asleep on the couch as soon as her head hit it. She was still wearing her tee shirt and jeans she wore at the bar. When she woke up and sat up, the time was 06:00 hours. Janeway realized that she throbbed in places, very pleasant sensations. She wanted to experience those feelings while she was awake, probably with B`Elanna and their new friend, Annika. She turned to look behind her , there was her new friend still fast asleep with her golden hair splayed all around her like a halo. 

 

Janeway looked at the sleeping beauty and sighed longingly. Feelings were awakened in her. Feelings she could not put back to sleep. 

 

 


	7. The apprentice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> B`Elanna and Kathryn teach their new friend about cars...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mechanical engineering lessons can be sexy. It all depends on the teacher.

_"Torres, how much longer are you gonna be in there?"_ Kathryn asked as she paced up and down the office`s corridor. She was waiting for B`Elanna to get out of the bathroom. A few minutes later the other woman emerged fully presentable and ready to face the day. Kathryn took a quick glance at her and walked past her to get into the en suite. As they walked past each other Torres brushed up against Janeway`s side and went looking for Annika. Kathryn froze to the spot as she felt an electric jolt pass through her. `What the hell? This is B`Elanna, so why am i reacting to her this way? The dream must have affected me more than i thought.`The brunette wondered why she throbbed in places and more importantly why did Torres cause her to react strongly to what seemed like a casual touch? 

 

Kathryn Janeway did her ablutions and walked out of the bathroom in record time. She wore a blue blouse, a black pair of trousers and done her hair up in a pony tail. As she walked out she found Annika waiting to get in.

_"It`s all yours, Annika."_ Kathryn said to cover up her strong reaction when she saw her new friend standing at the door bare feet, her blonde hair went down her back, some of it flowed over her shoulders. She was wrapped up in a fluffy replicated towel. 

_"Thank you."_ Annika said politely and went in. She did her ablutions and like Kathryn, she was done in record time.

 

Kathryn, B`Elanna and Annika sat on the couches they slept on the previous night and ate breakfast. Torres had replicated a full tray of cup cakes, bananas, cereals, coffee and tea. It was not a very nutritious breakfast but she was sure they were going to go home early so they would have a proper meal later in the day.

" _Thanks for the breakfast, Torres."_

" _Yes, i appreciate your hospitality, both of you. I would like to make a request, Kathryn and B`Elanna. I know i have not had a formal education, but i know a lot about technology. I was wondering if i could help out in some way around here? Could you teach me about hover cars and other machines, please?"_ The new friend said shyly and looked at both women expectantly.

 

Kathryn and Torres looked at each other and Janeway nodded readily, a few moments later Torres also nodded in affirmation. 

" _It couldn`t hurt to have an extra pair of hands around here."_ Janeway said as she sipped her coffee slowly. She looked at B`Elanna and wondered why her colleague had raised her eye brow at what she had just said. Kathryn tried to think back to what she had just said and found that there was nothing unusual or exciting, apart from the fact that she was offering her new friend some work and possibly apprenticeship.

" _No, it couldn`t hurt to have an extra pair of hands indeed."_ Torres repeated what Janeway had just said, but Kathryn noted that the tone Torres used was slightly suggestive. What was she up to? Was Kathryn hearing things? So Janeway decided to prove the theory. She discreetly observed the interactions between Torres and Hansen. As B`Elanna showed Annika a hover craft engine later that morning. She pointed out the important parts.

 

B`Elanna was wearing green overalls and had a spanner in her hand. She stood in front of a hover car with its bonnet cover lifted of. She pointed at the various engine parts with the spanner as she named them and lectured. Annika stood next to her, listening. Kathryn had gone to her office to check on the production report Tuvok had sent her overnight. She turned towards the large airy garage to see Annika seriously nodding her head as she assimilated the new information Torres provided.

_"This, Annika, is the car hood. It`s pretty much the same as an ordinary 21 st century road car. The first thing you`ll notice in the car engine is, well, the engine itself. Here it is. The radiator is next to it simply because the two are married."_  Torres laughed at her own joke, joined by Annika, who only laughed a small melodic laugh. 

_"Well, the real reason why the engine and radiator should be placed together by design is because the radiator`s job is to keep the engine cool, so it doesn`t overheat."_  Annika was attentive and as Torres explained things and summarized them, she quickly discovered that Annika was a quick study.

_"Now, this is the internal combustion engine. I thought i should show you this 21st century engine first so that you grasp the context of car engines in general then we`ll move on to the more modern hover car engines designs."_ Torres went into lecture mode. Annika could easily see that the olive skin beauty was in her element as she passionately explained engine design in combination with engine efficiency. " _Now, listen carefully because this part is important. Lubrication is very important when it comes to engines. You don`t want to get unnecessary friction of any kind or it may cause a spark. Make sure to buff your provocative hubcap and lubricate the gearbox."_ Annika looked at Torres and wondered what she was talking about, or whether she was hearing things. The lecture seemed to have taken a suggestive twist.

" _B`Elanna, did you say it is important to check oil? Then is it permitted to slide my dip stick in and out and up a hot drive shaft without causing any sparks? If allowed, i could slide the dipstick over and over again until brake fluid spurts all over the spark plugs causing an unwanted spark and a very needed and satisfied reaction."_ The young blonde said innocently. Torres looked at the woman and decided that a game was afoot.

_"Very good, Annika. I think you`re ready to work on your first car, but first do you want to call your parents, tell them you`re okay? They`re probably worried about you by now."_ B`Elanna said gently. It was hard to tell that only a few minutes ago this was the same woman spurting suggestive words in the name of a car engine lecture.

 

Kathryn quickly walked away from her concealed location behind her old green truck her father had given her years before. She had been listening in on the two women`s conversation. She had to agree that she was very turned on by just listening to two people talking about car engines. Who knew that cars were sexual beings? She laughed to herself. Kathryn entered her office and was satisfied to see the women were still talking and that they did not seem to have noticed her.

 

A few minutes later B`Elanna and Annika Hansen walked into Torres` office. Annika used the communications system to speak with her mother, to inform her that she was well, and that she had stayed over at some friends. Mrs Hansen was not pleased with her daughter staying away from home but Annika was adamant that she could take care of herself as she was an adult.

" _Annika, are you alright? Your father and i were very worried when you did not come home last night."_ Erin Hansen said, she sounded worried to Annika.

_"Mother, i am well. I am not five years old so stop treating me like one!"_ The young woman`s furious outburst could be heard in Kathryn`s office, causing Janeway to flinch in reaction.

_"Yes,_   _i know that you`re an adult, Honey, but i can`t bear to see anything bad happen to you. Please look after yourself and come home."_ A few moments went by then:

_"....very well, Mother, i will come home with my friends so you can meet them."_ Annika said in a resigned tone, then she terminated the communications link with her mother.


	8. Introducing new friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Annika was taken home by Torres and Janeway, Erin Hansen, Annika`s mother, is suspicious of the women. Janeway and Torres clarify things for their friend`s mother.

B`Elanna took Annika to the main assembly plant where the rest of the team worked on the hover car factory. The young woman saw Tuvok and Chakotay work on assembling the car parts while Harry and Ayala did the wiring. It took the women four hours to tour the whole area but B`Elanna only explained the basics of the factory. Tuvok immediately took to liking the young woman. He thought she was more Vulcan than human, while Chakotay and Harry Kim looked after her as if she were a delicious ice cream. When Harry whispered in Torres` ear to tell her how beautiful Annika was, B`Elanna snapped at him and warned him that under no circumstances was Harry to say anything `stupid` to Annika. Kim backed away from the angry woman with both arms raised in surrender. Tom Paris simply patted his chum on the back and drew him away from the women while telling Harry something about always reaching for the impossible women.

 

Kathryn Janeway spent most part of the day working on the efficiency report of the company Tuvok sent her earlier that morning. She compiled a detailed report for the Hover Car Safety Council. The Council had some issues related to the Agricultural Community where the company was based. Their argument was that since Kathryn`s company mainly catered for people with strong beliefs regarding heavy use of technology, therefore the hove cars made here were unsafe for the general population. They did not meet the safety standards of the Federation hover cars. Janeway was surprised by this information since the company manufactured their cars with all the modern technology. 

 

Janeway recommended that the Council send an investigator to inspect the company. After sending the report to the Council, she sent a message to Tuvok and Chakotay so that they could hold a meeting preferably sooner than later to discuss the issue. Then she went out of the office to check on things. B`Elanna and Annika returned from the company at 16:00 hours. They agreed to go to Kathryn`s mother`s house to have dinner and take Annika home. Janeway had her own house about a quarter kilometre from her mother`s house, in the family land. She rarely stayed there, only doing so when she had visitors such as her friend, Torres.

 

_"Annika, which street was it again?"_ Torres asked while Janeway inputted the required coordinates of the location. They flew for half an hour and soon landed on a well manicured garden. Janeway saw a blonde haired woman who bore a resemblance to Annika come out of the house, carrying a small watering can. She briefly looked at the hover car and went on to water some brightly coloured flowers in flower pots.

" _Hello, Mother?"_ Annika said and went to kiss her mum on the cheek.

_"Hello Annika. I see you`ve brought some friends. Come in please."_ The woman signaled to B`Elanna and Kathryn to get inside.

 

Janeway and Torres sat on one couch while Annika sat on the other facing her new friends. Her mother sat on another further away.

" _Kathryn, B`Elanna. Meet my mother, Erin Hansen. You already met my father, Magnus the other day."_ Annika had a small smile on her face.

" _So, you`re the reason my daughter never came home the other day?_ Erin started to accuse the new comers but she was cut off by Annika.

" _Mother, what are you doing? Remember that i am an adult. I can take care of myself. Why are you treating me this way, embarrassing me in front of my friends? These are nice people and i would like to learn from them. So please do not ruin this for me."_ Annika said. The other women could tell that their new friend was not happy with her treatment by her mother. Who would blame her? Kathryn thought about her own mother. If Gretchen treated her the same way would she tolerate it? She would probably throw a tantrum, like she was five years old, but the reserved Annika seemed only mildly displeased.

" _Kathryn, B`Elanna, i don`t know what Annika has told you about herself, but she has a condition that does not allow her to go to far away from home. She has to regenerate every day."_ Erin explained briefly but luckily Annika did hint on something along those lines so neither woman was surprised by that. B`Elanna was the first to react. She shrugged her shoulders and looked at Kathryn while she spoke to Mrs Hansen.

_"No big deal, Ma`am. If she needs help with maintaining her regenerator, we`re here to help."_ B`Elanna said while Kathryn nodded her head. Erin could not believe what she just heard. Annika had friends and they seemed to accept her just the way she was. Her daughter had so many health issues while growing up, she could not leave home for long. Because of that she never really developed friendships and was isolated from children her age. Because of her isolation she never developed a dialect or inflections in her speech patterns, which made her sound arrogant and emotionless. Her doctor at Starfleet medical, who was only known as The Doctor, was still trying to figure out the best way to make Annika more independent. He had only recently designed and developed the regenerating alcove to replenish her nano probes. Annika had to sleep standing up in the machine for several hours every night but when she went out with Kathryn and B`Elanna she suffered no ill effects. Annika wondered whether she should talk to her doctor about reducing the times she spent in the alcove charging her little machines within her.

 

_Alright,_ _now_   _that you know your friend`s secret, i feel that i should know a bit more about you."_ Annika`s friends thought that was not a problem. So Kathryn and B`Elanna told Erin Hansen their stories and what they did for a living. Erin seemed to be impressed and slowly she became less suspicious of her daughter`s friends. She brought in snacks and drinks which they all enjoyed. While they chatted, a call came through for Erin in her study. She excused herself to go and talk to her son, Oscar.

" _Mother, how is Annika? Is she behaving?"_ Annika`s older brother asked.

" _She`s fine but grumpy. She spent the night with her new friends and has only arrived an hour ago."_ Oscar could not believe that his little sister had friends and actually stayed overnight with them. He made a point to meet them one day.

 

When Erin returned to the living room, she told the women about Annika`s older brother, Oscar. Annika had hidden her face in he hands in embarrassment. She was embarrassed at her mother`s treatment. She felt that she was treated like a small child but B`Elanna and Kathryn seemed to have taken things in stride. They understood why the whole family treated Annika the way they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think :)

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think :)


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